Lesalia
Dear squire, I don’t know how we always seem to be pulled in these things, or why we keep attracting these dubious strangers on our travels through Ivalice, even though Ramza and Agrias are probably the purest humes of heart that I have ever known.
I may need to specify: neither Mustadio nor Rapha seem to have ill intentions, and Construct 8 is but an automaton who responds to given tasks. I still have some reservations about Rapha’s brother Marach, though he seems to work hard on redeeming himself, and Beowulf and his dragon, to whom he seems alarmingly close, are still questionable. Beowulf did offer us a zodiac stone rather than take it from us, but he is a former templar and we need to be careful around those people.
But then there’s Luso, who appeared as if out of pure aether. He is but a kid, but even despite our attempts to draw some history out of him, he only tells us half-baked tales which only leave us all more confused. He still takes notes on everything we encounter, and that has been rather helpful, but I am still mystified by the fact that a boy his age would be such a skillful poacher. Nevermind the fact that there are some severe punishments on poaching…
And then there’s… Well, I will tell you, dear squire, all about that other dubious stranger who appeared as if out of the void.
Running errands part 3
It was when we were running errands in Bervenia that Luso had caught some interesting gossip and had written it down. The free city of Bervenia was under rule of the church of Glabados, having been the cradle of Saint Ajora himself, and the streets of the city were filled with whispers of a series of jewel capers. Jewels under the care of various religious institutes all over Ivalice were disappearing and even the templars were at a loss.
Jewels under the care of the church of Glabados… This interested Ramza, and Beowulf suggested that we would visit Lesalia for further information. That was what he had made a habit of doing when he was still a templar, there was always a wealth of information in the capital.
The rumours from the Lesalian tavernmaster only intrigued Ramza further. He needed to know more. We were certain that we weren’t the jewel thieves, so was there another looking for jewelry in the possession of the church? Whoever it was, were they also in search of the zodiac stones?
We needed to investigate further, Ramza decided over a glass of milk. Milk? Was Ramza trying to impress someone?! Rapha perhaps? He urged us to follow him to Eagrose. We needed more information, and Eagrose was a bastion of information.
The Leading Man
Along the way we picked up more rumours in the taverns. No tavernmaster could tell us any more than we already knew, but the one in Dorter did hear of a rather peculiar errand, that had since been fulfilled.
Amid the chaos of the jewel heists, the city of Bervenia had inexplicably decided now was as good a time as ever to gift the Wailing Orte to the city of Dorter, a treasure with immeasurable value.
Perhaps not immeasurable, but enough to draw the thief’s attention. Ramza knew it was a trap. We all did. But, he said, if it meant finding the thief and bringing him one step closer to finding Alma, he would gladly risk walking headlong into it. So what else was there but to follow him into this clear trap? Who knew what it would bring us?
To be fair, whatever we all thought it would bring us, the last thing we expected was yet another – charming – companion, a gunner who put Mustadio’s marksmanship to utter shame and who claimed to be a sky pirate. The rumoured jewel thief.
But Mustadio said it himself, he had seen it, airships had been consigned to a distant past. They were buried under Goug! I would have asked who this man thought he was, claiming such things, but he seemed all too eager to introduce himself. Balthier, the leading man and none other. Though he claimed that his role seemed more of a cameo. He talked as if all the world was a stage as he invited himself into our company before Ramza could as much as object.
But then, we were all bewildered by his imposing presence. At least he wasn’t after the zodiac stones, he was in search of something called the cache of Glabados. Perhaps we could count him an ally, despite his pirating ways. Not that we had much choice in the matter.
I am Bathsua, the flabbergasted, and these are my memoirs.
Memoirs of a squire 